Paper clip applicator



Feb. 22, 1966 SMQTZER, JR 3,235,950

PAPER CLIP APPLICATOR Filed June 29, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

JOSEPH SMOTZER JR.

BY m nd/1 wry Attorney Feb. 22, 1966 J. SMOTZER, JR 3,235,950

PAPER CLIP APPLI CATOR Filed June 29, 1964 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 F 2INVENTOR.

JOSEPH SMOTZER,JR. BY ypm Attorney United States Patent 3,235,950 PAPERCLIP APPLICATOR Joseph Smotzer, Jr., 119 W. Walnut 1, San Diego, Calif.Filed June 29, 1964, Ser. No. 378,606 3 Claims. (Cl. 29-212) The presentinvention relates to a paper clip applicator and more particularly to apaper clip applicator which dispenses and applies paper clips to paperswhich are to be clipped together.

According to the invention, a plurality of paper clip-s are verticallystacked in a magazine within the paper clip applicator. A paper clipselector comprising an elongated strip of steel with a raised tongueportion on one end is moved horizontally beneath the vertically stackedpaper clips and the raised tongue portion selects the bottommost paperclip from the stack moving it forward. On each side of the raised tongueportion on the paper clip selector are two portions which are loweredforming cam follower surfaces. These cam follower surfaces then contacta camming surface beneath the paper clip magazine forcing the paper clipselector downward, and thereby spreading the paper clip for applicationto a plurality of papers presented thereto. After the paper clip hasbeen moved in proximity to the papers to be clipped, the paper clipselector is then moved back to its original starting position for thenext application.

An object of the present invention is the provision of a paper clipapplicator for applying paper clips to papers to be clipped with aminimum of operator attention and movement.

Another object is to provide a paper clip applicator which hasrelatively few moving parts.

A further object is a provision of a paper clip applicator in whichreloading is simple and convenient.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a paper clipapplicator which is relatively foolproof.

Yet another object is to provide a paper clip applicator which issimple, inexpensive and convenient to use.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this inventionwill be readily appreciated as the same becomes better understood byreference to the following detailed description when considered inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which like referencenumerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereof andwherein:

FIG. 1 is an isometric view, partially exposed, of the preferredembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a side view, partially sectioned, of the preferred embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a top view, partially sectioned, of the preferred embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 4 is an isometric view of the clip slide housing of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 5 is an isometric view of the paper clip selector of FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to FIG. 1, housing 11has magazine 12 with walls 1 3 and 14. The bottom edge of wall 14 hasextension 16. Housing cover 17 is placed at the top of magazine 12.Lever 18 is pivotally mounted at axle 19 within housing 11 and. pivotsthrough slot 21 by moving handle 22 which is fixedly attached to leverarm 18. Lever arm 18 is spring biased by coil spring 23, which isattached at one end to lever arm 18 and at the other to housing 11. Clipslide housing 24 accommodates lever 18 in slot 26 and is attached tohousing 11 as by a screw and nut at 27 through aperture '28.

Rod 31 is fixedly attached to cover 17 and has a flared end at 32.Compressed spring 33 is coiled around rod 31 and holds plate 34 againstflared end 3-2, which fits through 3,235,950 Patented Feb. 22, 1966paper clip stack 36. Plate 34 biases paper clip stack 36 downward inmagazine 12.

Paper clip selector 37 rides in clip slide housing 24 and accommodateslever arm 18 and aperture 38. Paper clip selector 37 has a raised tongueportion 39 at one end thereof, and lowered c-am follower portions 41 atthe same end. Housing 11 has a camming surface 42 for cooperation withcamfollower portions 41 of paper clip selector 37. 'Face 43 of housing11 and extension 16 of housing 11 cooperate to'form a paper feedingplatform and slot.

Operation To load magazine 12, a'stack of paper clips 36, preferablyheld together by a light adhesive such as a banana oil base glue, areinserted in magazine 12, and lid 17, together with its attached rod 31and coil spring 33, placed on the top thereof. Coil spring 33 then holdsplate 34 against flanged portion 32 of rod 31, and plate 34 then holdsor biases the entire stack of paper clips 36 downward in a position forraised tongue portion 39 of paper clip selector 37 to grasp the innerloop of the bottommost paper clip.

When a plurality of stacked papers are to be clipped together they areplaced on face 43 with one edge underneath extension 16 of housing 11.At this time handle 22 of lever arm 18 is pulled downward which pushespaper clip selector 37 against the inside loop of the lowermost paperclip, selecting that paper clip and breaking it loose from the stack 36.As lever arm 18 pushes paper clip selector 37 further, cam followersurfaces 41 come in contact with cam surfaces 42 pulling raised tongueportion 39 of paper clip selector 37 downward through slot 25 of clipslide housing 24, and spreading the selected paper clip. As the paperclip selector 37 is further moved by lever arm 18, the paper clip willbe spread around any papers in the slot defined by face 43 and extension16. At this time handle 22 is released and lever arm 18 is pulled backto its starting position by spring 23. This removes the paper clipselector 37 from the selected paper clip and the paper clip springs backholding the papers to be clipped.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelates only to a preferred embodiment of the invention and that it isintended to cover all changes and modifications of the examples of theinvention herein chosen for the purposes of the disclosure which do notconstitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A paper clip applicator comprising:

a paper clip magazine section for housing a plurality of stacked paperclips, said magazine section including a downward biasing means forbiasing said plurality of stacked paper clips in a downward direction;

a paper clip selecting means comprising an elongated strip of resilientmaterial, said elongated strip having a raised tongue portion in thecenter of one end thereof, said raised tongue portion being dimensionedfor the selecting of an inner loop of one of said plurality of stackedpaper clips, said elongated strip having an outside extension on eachside of said raised tongue portion forming a camming surface means; and

a camming means mounted in proximity to said cam surface means forcamming said paper clip selecting means when actuated by said actuatingmeans for spreading a selected paper clip.

2. The paper clip applicator of claim 1 wherein said actuating meanscomprises a spring biased pivotally mounted lever arm mechanicallycoupled to said paper clip selecting means for moving said paper clipselecting means in operable relationship with said plurality of stackedpaper clips and said camming means.

3. In a paper clip applicator for selecting and applying a paper clip toa stack of papers in proximity thereto of the type having a plurality ofpaper clips stacked in a paper clip magazine with biasing meansdownwardly biasing said stack of paper clips, the improved paper clipselecting and spreading means comprising:

an elongated resilient strip having a raised tongue pormeans intooperable relationship with said plurality of stacked paper clips,thereby effecting a selection and spreading of a single paper clip forapplication to a stack of papers in proximity thereto.

tion in the center of one end thereof for selecting an inner loop of oneof said plurality of stacked paper clips and an elongated section oneach side of said raised tongue portion defining a cam surface means;

a camming means mounted in proximity to said cam surface means foreamming said paper clip selecting means in a manner for spreading aselected paper clip; and

a lever arm mechanically coupled to said paper clip se- References Citedby the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,156,743 5/ 1939 Skreba 29-2l2 102,641,051 6/1953 Vick 292-11 I 2,833,028 5/ 1958 Treimann 292l23,019,519 2/ 1962 Guarino et. al 292l2 3,100,932 8/1963 Pipkin 29- 21215 WHIT MORE A. WILTZ, Primary Examiner.

THOMAS H. EAGER, Examiner.

1. A PAPER CLIP APPLICATOR COMPRISING: A PAPER CLIP MAGAZINE SECTION FORHOUSING A PLURALITY OF STACKED PAPER CLIPS, SAID MAGAZINE SECTIONINCLUDING A DOWNWARD BIASING MEANS FOR BIASING SAID PLURALITY OF STACKEDPAPER CLIPS IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION; A PAPER CLIP SELECTING MEANSCOMPRISING AN ELONGATED STRIP OF RESILIENT MATERIAL, SAID ELONGATEDSTRIP HAVING A RAISED TONGUE PORTION IN THE CENTER OF ONE END THEREOF,SAID RAISED TONGUE PORTION BEING DIMENSIONED FOR THE SELECTING OF ANINNER LOOP OF ONE OF SAID PLURALITY OF STACKED PAPER CLIPS, SAIDELONGATED STRIP HAVING AN OUTSIDE EXTENSION ON EACH SIDE OF SAID RAISEDTONGUE PORTION FORMING A CAMMING SURFACE MEANS; AND A CAMMING MEANSMOUNTED IN PROXIMITY TO SAID CAM SURFACE MEANS FOR CAMMING SAID PAPERCLIP SELECTING MEANS WHEN ACTUATED BY SAID ACTUATING MEANS FOR SPREADINGA SELECTED PAPER CLIP.